Thieves steal herd of pregnant goats

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KTVU) - Dozens of goats were stolen in unincorporated Morgan Hill and the owner said his family's livelihood is at stake.

Brian Allen is the owner of Green Goat Landscapers and is keeping a close eye on his goats. The goats are used in the summer to eat vegetation and create defensible fire space. He had a herd of 300 goats and now 60 of them are missing.

"We had some teenagers take one of our goats but nothing ever like this," said Brian Allen. "This is about 25 percent of our herd and this is a big hit for us."

Allen keeps some of his goats at his ranch. Others are tucked hidden at a field two miles away to graze.

"You wouldn't see them because we purposely kept them out of public's view," said Brian Allen.

Sometime, Thanksgiving weekend, thieves broke the locks and took 60 goats. Allen later discovered the broken fence. The thieves hauled the goats away in Allen's white trailer.

"They set up a pen area where they can throw some alfalfa in the trailer and the goats would naturally go in," said Brian Allen. "Once the goats were in the trailer, they drove away."

Ironically, Allen's wife found the trailer a day later four miles away. It was parked in a rural residential area on East Main Street between Butterfield and Highway 101. No goats were inside.

Allen suspects whoever took them plans to start their own business or slaughter them for meat. He and his son are doing all they can to find them.

"Today we visited a butcher unfortunately to see if he had come across them or if he had any leads," said Daniel Allen.

The goats are valued at $200. Brian Allen said whoever took them knew what they were doing. This time of year, most of the goats are pregnant.

For the Allens, the goats are considered part of the family and are priceless.

"A lot of them are bottle fed," said Daniel Allen. "My daughter and I go out on Saturdays and Sundays and feed the goats."

They're hoping someone may have spotted the thieves as they took off. All they want is their goats back.

"It hurts," said Brian Allen. "My son's three-year-old loves all these guys. It's going to be hard."

No surveillance footage but a tip from a woman who said she saw the trailer dumped by three men. They were driving an older, white Ford Bronco with a rusty left front fender and rear damage repaired poorly.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Green Goat Landscaping at (408) 427-5945 or email at greengoatlandscapers@gmail.com.

A reward is being offered to anyone who locates the goats.